Donde Plowman's bold move for Tennessee pays off. Jeremy Pruitt gets what he deserves | Adams

University of Tennessee Chancellor Donde Plowman held nothing back in January 2021 when she shared the results of an internal investigation what detailed all the violations in the the football program Jeremy Pruitt had tried to steer off a cliff. His 3-7 record in 2020 wasn’t even the worst of it. You have heard of coaches cheating a program to the top. Pruitt was cheating Tennessee’s program to the bottom. The amount of malfeasance was “stunning,” Plowman said as she laid out her plans to remake the football program. Hers was a bold move. And it worked. The NCAA delivered its verdict Friday, bringing to a close one the darkest chapters of Tennessee football. But the days would have been much darker if not for Plowman. She took the guilty parties to the firing range. Support staff members were fired. Assistant coaches were fired. And, of course, Pruitt was fired. Not just fired. Fired for cause, meaning Tennessee wouldn’t pay him one dollar of his $13.6 million buyout. Pruitt and his attorney threatened burn down the house, but Plowman didn’t back down. Good for her. And good for Tennessee in the end. Don’t get me wrong. Tennessee didn't escape unscathed. It had to pay a price. Tennessee was fined more than $8 million, which includes 50% percent of the gross revenue paid to the SEC for UT’s participation in the 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Bowl, perhaps Pruitt’s crowning achievement amid a failure-filled three seasons. Exclusive coverage: Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt learn NCAA penalties 12 text messages that buried Jeremy Pruitt and his football staff in NCAA recruiting scandal Phillip Fulmer's candidates to replace Jeremy Pruitt had some wild names, internal email shows Vols avoid bowl ban as NCAA crushes Jeremy Pruitt, staff members NCAA doesn't hammer Casey Pruitt — Jeremy Pruitt's wife — for role in scandal Unpacking NCAA's verdict for Tennessee, Jeremy Pruitt — and why Vols can finally move on Also, it will have to forfeit victories in games in which 16 individual sanctioned players participated. But as you might remember, there wasn’t much winning going on in those days. One more thing: The NCAA reduced Tennessee's football scholarships by 28 over five years. UT already took care of 16 of those spots by self-imposing a reduction over the past two years. Now that players can capitalize on their name, image and likeness, a loss of scholarships doesn’t have the same impact it once did, especially when you have a coach as good as Josh Heupel. Despite a depleted roster in 2021, Heupel won seven games in his first season, then led the Vols last season to an 11-2 record, Orange Bowl victory over Clemson and a top-10 finish. Most important, Tennessee didn’t get a bowl ban. That wouldn’t have been mattered much if the Vols were still winning at a Pruitt pace. But it would have been catastrophic now that Heupel has UT in the running for the College Football Playoff. The NCAA’s decision didn’t work out as well for Pruitt. Nor should it have. He was given a six-year show-cause penalty, which means school can't hire him during that time without incurring penalties unless it gets the NCAA to sign off. My question: What college would want to risk hiring Pruitt as a coach or recruiter? He didn’t just cheat at Tennessee. He cheated badly. Even his wife and babysitter were involved. If you want to cut him some slack, you could say, “Well, at least he kept his children out of it.” ADAMS: How could you make a case for Jeremy Pruitt vs NCAA? With a big imagination Fortunately for Tennessee, Plowman didn’t cut Pruitt or his staff any slack. She did what was best for the university and the football program. As a result, more than two years later, Tennessee is not just bowl eligible but can compete for a championship. And it soon might have the wherewithal to win one. John Adams is a senior columnist. He may be reached at 865-342-6284 or john.adams@knoxnews.com. Follow him at: twitter.com/johnadamskns.